


23

by InnerCinema



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF!Tony, Dagny is really bad at keeping secrets, Fluff, FrostIron - Freeform, I'm really bad at tagging, Kid Fic, Loki Has Issues, M/M, Sass, Tony Has Issues, Unresolved Emotional Tension, kind of, spell gone wrong, they should get their heads out off their pretty behinds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-02 23:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InnerCinema/pseuds/InnerCinema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Well this was definitely not the mansion anymore, let alone Malibu.<br/>“Awkward…” Dagny let out with a sigh as she stared into the extremely familiar yet slightly younger but likewise astonished faces of the Avengers. “Erm… Hi?” the girl lifted a hand to wave, which seemed to wake earth’s mightiest heroes from their stupor.</p><p> </p><p>Loki's and Tony's daughter catapults herself unintentionally way back into the past and she really should find a way back... but spying on her parents seems to be is so much more fun!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I followed you all night across my blinds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [littlewolfoffenris](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=littlewolfoffenris).



> Hello there!  
> This is my first FrostIron fic and to be honest, it's the longest fictional text I've written so far in my entire life!  
> (plus: I really should stop listeing to jimmy eat world!)  
> I gift this one to my beautiful beta reader http://littlewolfoffenris.tumblr.com/ and I thank her deeply for sharing my love for this ship! (Fangirls 'til Ragnarök!)
> 
> The song inspriring this work is "23" by jimmy eat world

 

Well this was definitely not the mansion anymore, let alone Malibu.

“Awkward…” Dagny let out with a sigh as she stared into the extremely familiar yet slightly younger but likewise astonished faces of the Avengers. “Erm… Hi?” the girl lifted a hand to wave, which seemed to wake earth’s mightiest heroes from their stupor.

“Where did that girl pop from all of a sudden?” a metal voice piped from a few feet above, but as always Natasha was the first to act and pulled the girl in question by her waving arm and pushed her behind the lines of defense, namely her team mates.

“Woah! Tash! You saw how she Houdini-ed here?”

Black widow shot Clint a look and arched an eyebrow.

“What if she’s one of Doom’s magic chicks?!”

“WHAT?!” the black haired girl turned around instantly and pointed angrily at the archer. “This iron maiden for poor people?! I would rather cuddle a bilgesnipe!” she paused as if thinking. “Or you, birdbrain, but only if I got 10 bucks.”

“Buuuurn! Woah, Legolas, now even little girls outwit you!”

“Hey! At least she would cuddle me! You, on the other hand, were never even mentioned.”

“Yeah but she didn’t see me without the armor yet so…”

“Okay, now before this becomes even grosser, please let’s concentrate on the metal trash can with the slightly murderous fire power over there.”

Captain America, ever the voice of reason, Dagny thought just before the heroes moved after some kind of strategy. She pointedly ignored the commands to go hide but stay there until they came back. She had better things to do than to be asked questions she wouldn’t answer anyway. At first, she had to find a newspaper stand and then… then she should probably go and see father. Yeah… that would not be pretty. But first things first.

It took a while to find a store in this industrial area but it was worth it. “November 2015…” Wow, she really had traveled time and apparently space as well since this was New York. Great. But at least, at meant, there was an actual chance to go back to her time without reading myriads of books because boring. Or… or…

A glint of mischief sparked in her eyes and she let go of the newspaper she had been clutching in her hands for far too long already. Yes! That was one awesome idea!

 

Invisibility had always been one of her fortes and so she rushed back just in time to find the sorry remains of one especially tricky Doombot smoking on the concrete. All she had to do now was to follow her dad and immediately cursed the absence of her portable feet- and wrist repulsors. But who would have thought that instead of performing a truth spell, she would catapult herself back in time and… okay, father probably would have but he has lived for so long already, it was almost cheating.

Thus, the only way to follow Iron Man, was to place a little tracking spell. It was a nifty little thing and not even JARVIS would notice it… yet. And now, all she had to do was rely on her stamina (ah, the perks of being half-god-ish!) and hope her parents would meet up soon. ‘Curiosity kills the cat’ her aunt Pepper always said yet never without a glint of rogue but how could she not spy on her parents-to-be when that meant hitting two birds with one stone?

 

It was not until evening that the two met. Much to her surprise, it was not in some fancy place like the ones where they would normally dine as a family but in a slightly shady diner. Her dad was dressed very casually, if not trashy in a worn out hoodie and washed out jeans and despite the pitch black of night outside, with shades, her father, as always a bit smarter, in a black loden coat, a button down shirt and tight leather pants. Too tight for her taste but dad seemed to like it, the way he ogled the other’s ass when he followed him to a table.

To stay within earshot, she snuck into one of the many empty booths behind them. Luckily, her father didn’t seem to have noticed the magic of her invisibility spell yet though it also could be because he was annoyed by something else right now.

“Why again do we meet in this greasy hole, Stark?”

“Because we’re still doing my gracious ‘I can show you the world’- Aladdin thingy here and princess, I am about to show you the best burger, this whole wide world has to offer in… like… ever!”

Father didn’t seem very convinced, but his huffing and eye-rolling could almost count as fond. Dagny wondered how long they were dating.

“Was it not enough that you made me watch that dreadful movie?”

“Nope~” the p plopped and the tone dad used was utterly gleeful. She could very well imagine his expression even though all she could see was a bit of profile and the back of his head. It made her all warm and fluffy inside since she loved her parents and loved those little banters that wouldn’t change so much in the future, maybe become more comfortable but never boring.

The only waitress came to take their order but that was the only disturbance in their rather meaningless but nevertheless interesting conversation until the food came and Dagny became aware of the fact that her cheeks hurt from the constant smiling. It was nice to watch them and if she was lucky, she thought, there was always the possibility of blackmail material she could use in the future.

The burgers looked delicious and it took all of her self control not to make a single sound. Maybe she could snitch just one fry and…

“You know what’s funny?”

Both the invisible girl and her father looked up to the man that had just spoken.

“The fact that place 5 of the richest men on the planet took his date to a greasy diner?” the reply came promptly and was dry as a desert.

“Nah, that’s at least quirky.” the wink was almost audible. “Today when we went out to kick some ass and be awesome – at least me – some girl appeared out of thin air and she had a face just like yours. And her hair had a similar shade of luscious black… though it was more wavy.”

“And what, pray tell, do you want to express with this little story of yours? That you’d like me to curl my hair?” the voice dripping of sarcasm was only lightened up by the laughter that lay slightly hidden under the surface.

“Wrong, wrong, wrong. You know what I like to do to those strands of yours and curls would be… no.” Okay that was one thing she didn’t want to hear. It was not as if she were prude but there were boundaries, especially when you had a very lively fantasy. But that was not the point of this conversation, so she filtered the innuendo out and continued listening to the stuff that was actually about her.

“Do you, by any chance, have kids, reindeer games?”

Father looked like he was about to choke on his fry and Dagny hat to bite her lip very hard in favor of not laughing out loud. This face was hilarious! Dad did not seem very concerned by this sight and so father and daughter patiently awaited the moment when his other parent found his voice again.

“My, Stark, don’t you always check the background of your acquaintances?”

“Not the ones I screw, actually, plus: I don’t know how much of the Edda is true and I am sure as hell not asking Thor about stuff like that.”

“Oh, why not?” his father drawled, now in obvious amusement.

“Seriously? There are two options when I ask Blondie for heads up on you: he will turn pink like a flamingo because he can’t imagine his baby brother having sex.” Dad pointedly ignored the mumble ‘he is not my brother’ which didn’t seem to surprise him as much as his daughter. “Or he would redecorate the floor with my gorgeous body and I know both of us don’t want any of the last option.”

Father arched a brow and dad countered with both gesturing down his body and with that they were silent again, eating peacefully until the dark haired man started to speak again.

“I do have children, Stark, your books are mostly accurate concerning the stories that can be found inside though I am afraid none of my children will apply to your description.”

“What a shame, she was kind of cool. Dissed Doom and Barton, blubbered something of some monstrosity, Thor tells epic tales of and then disappeared.” Dad shrugged while Dagny felt something really warm and cozy curl inside her intrails.

“The first one sounds more like you, I dare say.” father chuckled faintly.

“Such humility from you, my dear! It’s like I don’t know you at all! Now don’t be shy, you have my level of wit. Okay, maybe almost… let’s say you would be my first choice as a backup homie when it came to a rap battle between Fury and me. And if that’s not… Hey!” The inventor caught the fry his counterpart had flipped at him. “If that is how you show affection, I will not take you near food ever again, Mister!”

“Oh you don’t know half of how I can show affection…” father’s voice was a soft purr and obviously hinting at something, which made the other man swallow very hard until he regained full power over his composure again.

“Well… you could always show m…” He stopped mid-sentence and frowned when his Phone beeped like Dumm-E on a good day. He pulled it out and read. “Fuck.”

“Avengers-related?”

“Tash says Fury wants a late-night debrief and won’t stop bitching until I come since I apparently don’t have anything better to do.”

“Well you could always tell them you are celebrating a one year anniversary in a so-called diner where I have already seen two cockroaches and a rat…”

“But you have to admit: the burger is pretty awesome!”

“Yes, it is scrumptious, there you go. – Now?”

“I knew you would like it! But yeah, anyways, I don’t think it’s such a good idea to drop the bomb at the others if Widow’s reaction is anything to go by. I will find a moment, I promise, but not right now. Okay?”

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want. It was merely a suggestion on how to ease your troubles.”

“I know.” Dad rose from his seat and rounded the table to get to his someday-in-the-future-husband and steal a kiss. “Sorry.” he whispered. “But Happy Anniversary! Who would have guessed we really would stop trying to kill each other, huh?” he grinned warmly and took hold of the her father’s neck to kiss him even more passionately before he let go and left without another word.


	2. I need you to show me the way from crazy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Double digits! It may sound silly but I am so happy right now!   
> Thank you so much!
> 
> critique is also very much welcome!

 

Even long after, her father’s gaze still hovered over the spot where the last glimpse of the other man had vanished, a warm little smile stuck to his lips. It was such a peaceful sight, it made Dagny jump when he finally rose and left the diner but it didn’t take her long to follow curiously behind.

It was a surprise though when he was nowhere to be seen. It was dark outside and only a hand full of people was walking down the street. “Shit.” she silently breathed a curse. He could have vanished to grandpa knows where and…

“You can drop the charade. You may be able to fool mortals with that little trick of yours but not me.”

Dagny immediately turned around and stifled a laugh when she saw her father leaning comfortably to the building wall, absently picking his nails.

“And there I thought, I would have gotten you too.” she chuckled and let the charm fade, registering the examining stare. Unsurprisingly, he seemed to have gotten to some kind of conclusion.

“Why would you think so highly of yourself?”

“Because I am awesome?”

“And who are you exactly?” Ohh, now that was a tricky one. She had watched too much Butterfly Effect and Doctor Who not to be at least a bit careful.

“The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” she gave him a lopsided grin until she saw the confusion and sighed. “You know… Charles Dickens… A Christmas Carol…?” That seemed to spark something.

“And does the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come know where to stay the night?” That one startled her big time because when was her father not suspicious and wary? The others had let it slip once or twice that in earlier times, he had been even worse so… what was going on?

“Well no, though my father always told me not to go with strangers, even if they promise candy.”

“I can assure you that you won’t get any of my candy.”

She wanted to retort something wittier and dad had always taught her never to back off from a verbal duel and really, there were so many possibilities but this was her goddamn father! This conversation was becoming creepy as hell and he must have noticed her discomfort, because one of his more sadistic smiles crept into his expression.

“Now, since we clarified this, follow me. I bet you have a very interesting story to tell…”

Ouch, she didn’t like the implication. At All! But grudgingly, she followed. She really didn’t have anywhere to go after all.

 

She knew she had been right to worry about the whys and ifs when her father shoved her against the wall of his living room in some shady apartment house in an even shadier street (though to be fair, the apartment itself was pretty nice, probably pimped with magic but now was really not the right moment to think about stuff like that).

Green eyes pierced into brown ones with a look that promised pain if she dared to lie to the God of Lies. Dagny gulped hard, when she saw the predator smile he had used on her first boyfriend. “Were did you get that necklace, little thief?” And for a moment she just stared at him in disbelief, until the  puzzle piece fell into place.

“I did not steal it! It was a gift!”

“Don’t make me laugh! You could at least tell me a better story than Queen Frigga giving you this amulet voluntarily.”

“But it is the truth!” It was a beautiful amulet: her grandmothers family crest carved into ivory, framed with golden leaf tendrils on a delicate golden chain. “I have the right to wear it!” she hated how her voice started to tremble and she hated how stubborn and childish she sounded. “She gave it to me… or better: she will give it to me!”

Her statement seemed to aggravate him more than calm him down, his grip on her shoulders tightening. “You really expect anyone to believe this? And I have told you to drop the charade. I can feel the glamour you wear. Strip it or your lies will be the last thing the world will ever hear from you.”

“Erm… it’s no actual glamour because both are my true forms but okay, and I warn you, I am bound to professional discretion by the shadow proclamation for I am forbidden to … meddle with the laws of time and… space.” It didn’t make the situation better but at least she had not fully spilled the beans yet and thus let her body transform. The slightly tanned skin rippled away in favor of indigo adorned with lighter filigree lines, running in familiar ornaments over her whole body and the chocolate brown and white of her eyes was replaced by two shades of crimson. Her hair however took a lighter shade of black, almost brown, the curls coming out more strongly and unruly than before. “Tadaaa…?” she singsonged and bit back a laugh when she looked into a quite baffled face though she didn’t like how it immediately changed back to even stronger hostility.

“Could you please let go now? My shoulder is very, very precious to me.” she tried to be calm even though panic began to rise inside her and at the same time examined if she could squirm out of his grip, but it was no use. “I said ‘please’.”

After a moment, he really let go and took a few steps back to examine her thoroughly. “That’s enough.” his voice was liquid ice. “I warned you and a frost giant wearing the Allmother’s crest is more than enough reason to behead you right now.” There was no but, not even implied, when chains appeared out of thin air and wound themselves tightly around her body like snakes.

“No! What are you doing? You can’t do that!” she wheezed when the chain reached her throat.

“I am Loki, God of Chaos and Fire and I obviously ‘can do that’”

“AND I AM DAGNY STARK, FUCKING DAUGHTER OF SAID GOD AND I TELL YOU NO!” the girl panted heavily and just like the clattering chains, she sunk to the ground. Only then, she realized what she had said just now and looked up to her father, her face pale. “Woops… uhm… I probably shouldn’t have told you and … I would advise you to forget this information as soon as possible…?” Her JARVIS imitation was really not that good. She should have listened to Bruce when he had told her in confidence.

“You…” Said god, however, looked at her, white as a sheet and obviously processing what he had just heard.

“Yes.” she helped him because losing the chains and the focus of her father’s dread made her feel more like herself again, even though she supposed her trembling legs were not fond of standing up in the next ten minutes. “And I am sorry I told you this because this is a huge spoiler and I didn’t even intend to tell you, nor did I even intend to be here but it was an accident, really!”

“What accident?”

“I tried a rather complex spell all by myself and it didn’t work out the way I wanted.” Dagny admitted guiltily but just a nanosecond later her eyes widened in sudden realization, panic taking over her mind once again.“Please don’t tell me you will break up with him now! Please! I don’t want to vanish! I really, really love my life and I really, really love my parents and, and I really didn’t want to meddle with anything!” Her voice started trembling once more and this time was accompanied by tears of fear, streaming down her cheeks.

All of a sudden, strong, slender arms wrapped themselves around Dagny and pressed her against a solid chest. A familiar smell filled her nose and calmed her instantly. “Hush now, hush.” her father’s fingers brushed her hair. “I won’t end the relationship with him. There is no reason to do so.” The reassurance was all she needed for the tears to stop drenching the shirt and both fell silence for a bit.

“Yet, I have to admit: it surprises me that he would stay this long. How old are you?” Eyes met when she looked up at that question.

“Almost 15.” she mumbled, a small frown on her forehead. “Why wouldn’t he? Dad adores you!” Father was always the only one who could drag him out of the workshop without him whining, complaining or talking the designated person out of it. Hell, he even usually shared the last piece of pizza with him. If this wasn’t love, she didn’t know what was.

“He finds me interesting for now.” he chuckled lightly and let go of her “But I am glad.”

 

It took her a while to find sleep as she lay on the convertible sofa bed in her father’s living room, watching shadows cast on the ceiling by the street lights outside. They had not talked much afterwards. He had made her a sandwich and asked about the spell she had used to come here, promising her to find a way to send her back. She had transformed back into her more human apparel, answered the questions dutifully in between munches and did not protest when he had sent her to bed. Magic was exhausting and so was messing up and crying.

Yet now, most of the fatigue she had felt hours prior was gone, replaced by some serious pondering about the reason she was here in the first place. That was one of the few secrets she kept to herself. The way her dad had been acting as well as the look on her father’s face however let the question stir inside once more: Why would they not bind themselves to each other? She knew her parents loved each other thoroughly, even after almost twenty years they still made gooey eyes at each other and even more when the other was not looking. It was really embarrassing sometimes! But by the norns, dad was as good as immortal now, since grandma had put him on a diet of golden apples for a few weeks just to stay with father forever… though he did not name the reason but chattered some crap about having more time now to stay at the workshop and do science. And to Dagny’s mind, THAT was their problem. They did not talk openly about their feelings though she was relieved to see that they did a better job in the future than now. They were emotionally stunted idiots but this conclusion (she had drawn that one some years ago already) did not explain why they acted how they did. They trusted each other with their lives but refused to take the final step. It was nice to puzzle over an enigma sometimes but this wasn’t even funny anymore!

Sleep finally overtook her in the early morning and only a few hours had passed when she woke to the smell of freshly made toast.

Still yawning she slipped out of bed and lumbered into the kitchen.  “Morning…” she mumbled and flopped down on a chair just to watch the black haired man that was still undoubtedly her father from when she was not even born as he peeled an orange.

“Good morning.” a still slightly confused but nonetheless kind smile appeared on his features. “We will eat and then I will send you to your rightful place in time before anything else can get mixed up.”

She nodded ruefully and snatched a slice of fruit. Yeah she probably should have been more careful and maybe she should not have told him that he was her father to be… though honestly? It made going back home so much easier.

They ate fruits and toasts in silence, both obviously determined not to mess up time and space more than necessary. Afterwards they cleaned up and she sat on the edge of her makeshift bed as he fetched the required tokens for the sending spell. 

Apparently he did not need more than an amulet ornamented over and over with runes and a green paste made of herbs which he used as a kind of paint to draw additional runes onto her forehead, hands and feet. They sat down on the floor facing each other and she curiously watched him skillfully weaving the delicate spell with his long and talented fingers. She saw the magic flowing around them and patiently waited it all to take form and bring her back to the life she knew.

However, the norns, it seemed, were not too fond of their plan.

With horror, she watched the little sparks suddenly revolving around her father like the results of a magic overstretch. He himself noticed a few moments later, realizing some sort of error. Swiftly, he grabbed the amulet from its place in his lap to somehow dissipate the spell into thin air and that was his mistake. Golden light shone brightly from his formerly emerald eyes before extinguishing as fast as it came, her father sinking bonelessly to the floor.

“FATHER!” her cry cut through the silence as she crawled to the immobile body. Dagny tried to shake him but hot pain flared through her fingers every time she touched him. His heart was still beating steadily yet she could feel his energy slowly seeping out of him and… and being sucked into the amulet his fingers were still curled around.

Just like yesterday, pain crept easily into her limbs. She did not dare to touch the amulet, afraid its impact would knock her out as well but she also feared for her father. This wasn’t happening! This was not supposed, no, allowed to happen! Why wasn’t dad here? Dad would be able to help her! He always did! He would fix things and ruffle her hair fondly, telling her everything was going to be alright! Tears started to roll down her cheeks and soft, helpless sobs escaped her lips. She wanted her dad here, she wanted her father safe and she wanted dad to tell her it was alright!!


	3. In your darkest time, it's just enough to know it's there

Chapter Three: In your darkest time, it's just enough to know it's there

The sounds of shattering porcelain made her jump to her feet and open her eyes. This was not the apartment anymore but an old version of the Avengers Tower’s kitchen and Clint, Steve and dad, whose cup it apparently had been, were looking at her incredulously.

“Holy shit! It’s the magic chick!” the archer exclaimed but she had only eyes for the dark haired inventor, her feet moving automatically towards him.

“Dad!” She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into the same, wetting his shirt’s collar with her tears. The faint ‘what the…?’ that followed was easily ignored and she squeezed his stiff body even more at the sound of his voice. “Father! You have to help him!” Dagny pulled away to look into those brown eyes she’d always found soothing but which were now looking at her in disbelief.

“What? Who? Dad? Father? How…?”

For the second time in 24 hours she had to realize her mistake but this time, she did not care. “Yes. Me daughter, you dad.” her voice was more agitated and impatient now that she was able to focus a bit better.

“With whom and why do you just pop up like Tinkerbell? Why don’t I know of you alrea-”

“Loki is my father, I am unintentionally from the future yadda yadda and now shut up and come with me!” She let go of his neck and grabbed one of his hands instead to pull him towards the elevator. The name of one special God of Mischief seemed to have gotten him out of his trance.

“What happened to him?” His face grew serious and he did not budge.

“He tried to send me back home and now come! You have to do something or the amulet will have absorbed all of his energy and he will… he will…” her hands started to tremble and once again, tears started to fill her eyes.

“Alright.”

“What?! Stark! Tony! Will you believe her that easily? If she really is Loki’s daughter, you have to be careful.” Steve piped up, obviously not liking her explanation one bit. “He is the God of Lies. Don’t run into his trap.”

Dagny wanted to respond sharply to this accusation but dad beat her to it. “I am pretty sure my _boyfriend_ will not use such a petty trick on me, Capsicle.” he lifted his hand to prevent any reply. “And yes, before you ask, I will be careful.” And with that, they finally left for the elevator, leaving a blushing and extremely confused Captain America behind.

“So… daughter, huh?” He eyed her with caution.

“Yep…” Dagny did not exactly feel comfortable with this revelation and fumbled with the sleeve of her shirt though she looked up, when he cleared his throat.

“Who would have guessed… Well… Do you have other… siblings?” She shook her head.

“Am I okay?” he looked a bit forlorn when he asked her that. “As a dad I mean.”

“The best.” she gave him her best Stark-grin and all of a sudden, it was like she could touch the relief radiating from him and it turned into utter glee when she added: “You helped me to build Dumm-E Jr. when I was 7 so I guess that alone puts you right on top.” Their moment, though, was interrupted by a soft ring and the opening of the elevator doors.

Remembering the severity of their situation, they but ran to one of the more subtle cars and drove out of the garage, or better tried to, when all of a sudden, a blond head sat up from his position at the back of the car.

“BARTON!” Tires screeched but fortunately, they missed the pillar by an inch. “Fuck! How the hell did you get there?” Dad shouted at him but Clint shrugged him off and focused on her instead.

“Less talking, more driving, Stark. So what’s your name, kid?”

“Dagny Frigga Maria Stark.”

“Thank god! I never thought those two would finally stop tiptoeing around each other and get real.”

“You know?!” Dad seemed overly surprised by this revelation and Dagny had to work hard to hold back a chuckle when the marksman continued.

“Sure. First: Spy. Second: Nat told me. And Third: even without her telling me I would have known. Seriously dude, subtlety is not your forte.”

“Who else knows?”

“Bruce, because he is a genius that actually gets people on an emotional level as well and he’s alright with you, if not amused. Steve was oblivious up until now but I guess you will never hear the end of it for some time and Thor… I honestly don’t know. He has been in Asgard for quite some time now though he shot you strange looks when he was here.” Clint shrugged. “I think he will only make you eat thundery space hammer if you break his baby brother’s heart.”

The engineer shot his daughter an inquisitive look but only got a mysterious half-smile for an answer. It was nice to see him sweat sometimes, however her face turned serious again. “I will make you eat slugs for the rest of your life if you don’t hurry more!”

 

The three of them reached the apartment building only a few minutes later and stormed up the stairs. The door was no hindrance for the two determined men and soon they were gathered in the living room where the sorcerer still lay unconscious.

“Loki!” dad knelt next to him and held out his hand to touch.

“Don’t! It hurts when you touch him.”

Brown eyes locked with hers and she could see it, could see what he was willing to do. “You said the amulet is absorbing his energy, so I don’t give a crap.” He looked down to the lifeless body. “And you, Bambi, you better don’t die on me or I will scatter your ashes into deep fryers in greasy burger joints all over America.” And then, he grabbed the amulet and pulled. Golden sparks flew where he touched the metal and the smell of burnt flesh reached her nose. Dad grimaced in pain but let not hear a sound even though the burn already crept over his wrist.

It seemed like hours until dad was able to pull the pendant free and throw it against the next wall. Just now, Dagny realized she had held her breath the whole time, only daring to breathe, when she saw her father’s lids flutter. Relief washed over her like a wave and she leant a bit into her favorite makeshift-uncle for support.

“Deep fryers, Anthony? Really?” the dark haired god croaked and tried to sit up. “Well that did not work as I expected.”

“NOT WORK AS YOU EXPECTED?!” father jumped at dads indignant, but subtly shaking voice. “I WAS WORRIED YOU IDIOT! DON’T DO THAT EVER AGAIN!”

“Sure.” the other shot back. “Next time I use a suddenly malfunctioning magical artifact, I will refrain from my actions.” Opposite to his words he softly touched the inventor’s cheek as if to apologize until he saw the burns on his hands and went pale. “Your fingers… palm… wrist…” he all but whispered and took the burnt ones into his own even though their owner tried to pull away.

“It’s nothing. It’s alright, Lokes.” Dads voice was meant to be soothing and reassuring but he could not hide the pain, now that his flaring anger had faded.Sorrow and guilt found their way into father’s eyes but were soon replaced by determination.

“Let me heal them.”

“No, you’re weak. I can wait until you have rested properly, okay?”

“Anthony, no. Let me have this.” A resigning sigh was the answer and soon a green glow filled the space between them until dads hands looked like nothing had happened. When father leant at him soon afterwards, the engineer pulled him into a more comfortable position and started to run his fingers through the black strands.

 

Looking at her parents, she couldn’t help but wonder about her initial reason for the truth-spell. Why would people, who loved each other as deeply as they did, not take their relationship to the next level? Why not bind yourself eternally to the one you wouldn’t give up for the world? They just couldn’t be so much afraid of commitment that…

 _I'm here I'm now I'm ready_  
Holding on tight  
Don't give away the end  
The one thing that stays mine

The old song came to her mind and oh, how it fitted them perfectly! And oh, she could not believe how incredibly stupid her incredibly genius parents could be! She could just.... she could just...

“Hey, what’s up with you, kid? You look like you want to punch someone.”

She grimly looked up to Clint who was eyeing her bemusedly. “I want to shake the stupid out of my parents but I fear it could take very long.”

The marksman laughed now wholeheartedly and ruffled her hair. “It’s now official: I like you, kiddo! You’re gonna be alright.”

“Looks like I’m gonna _be_.” He got her hint and both grinned at each other before retreating to the kitchen.

 

After a while, Dagny and Clint returned with Tea for father and a cup of coffee for dad. The Sorcerer took his cup thankfully. He looked a bit better than before, but he still seemed a bit shaky. The archer did not directly hand dad the cup but placed it next to him which seemed to do the job because the engineer took it with a nod. She shot the blond a questioning look but he just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

“I’m sorry, I put you in danger.” ruefully, she turned towards her father as she spoke. “I will find another way how to get back…”

“No.” the calm and by now steady voice interrupted her. “It is fine. No one could have known. You did well bringing him here.”

“Fine? The hell it is!” Everyone looked at dad but he seemed just as confused as everyone else.

“Wait a minute! You, good sir” Clint pointed at dad, still sipping on his coffee “did not move your lips an inch!”

“Congratulation, Katniss, you just won the Hunger Games.”

Finally they turned to the door leading to the bedroom where a slightly older Tony Stark smirked at them sarcastically. It only took Dagny a blink of an eye to jump to her feet and throw herself at her ‘real’ Dad, squealing happily.

“Dad! You found me! How did you come here? Did you build a time machine? Please tell me you built a time machine!”

“Hey, princess.” he said, his whole demeanor softening. “Yes, I built a kinda, sorta time machine and your father magic-ed a bit too so it would not blow into my face but as it seems, it is still some hours off. I have hoped to arrive before shit hits the fan.”

“Holy crap! That’s me!”

The older one looked up from his daughter and grinned. “Yup.”

“And you… I… built… will build a fucking time machine?!”

“Again, yup.”

“And a daughter?”

“Yeah well… building is not a word I would use for the thing with the bees and the flowers, but: yup.”

“Daaaaaaaaad!”

“I will embarrass you as long as I want because you, little Miss I-Play-TARDIS, are to be grounded. Until college!”

“But that’s two month! TWO MONTH!”

“Serves you right. Your father is pretty upset right now, you can try your kicked puppy look on him. So say goodbye to the nice people and Barton” (“Hey!”) “and off we go.”

Dagny shot the others an apologetic grin and waved. “See you in a few… years. Thank you!”

The last thing she felt before the whirlwind of time sucked her in were strong arms wrapped around her.

“Everything’s alright.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is finished :D yaaaaaay!  
> Thank you so much for reading, you lovely people, you!


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